Process for manufacturing fringe headings provided with fringe tassels

ABSTRACT

A tasseled fringe is formed continuously in a warp-knitting or weaving machine, a continuous bundle of threads being linked with loops on a heading tape in a zigzag fashion, tied together close to the loops and subsequently trimmed remotely from the ties to form tassels on each loop.

[ Apr. 4, 1972 [54] PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRINGE HEADINGS PROVIDED WITH FRINGE TASSELS wea mma

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211 Appl. No.: 780,957

Primary Examiner-Henry S. Jaudon Attorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 6, 1967 Feb. 5, 1968 [57] ABSTRACT A tasseled fringe is formed continuously in a warp-knitting or weaving machine, a continuous bundle of threads being linked with loops on a heading tape in a zigzag fashion, tied together close to the loops and subsequently trimmed remotely from the ties to form tassels on each loop.

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PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING FRINGE I-IEADINGS PROVIDED WITH FRINGE TASSELS This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the manufacture of tasseled fringes. More particularly, the invention concerns fringes of the type comprising a fringe heading tape provided with loops extending beyond an edge of the tape, bundles of threads being hooked to said loops to form tassels which bundles are tied in proximity to the loops to secure them to the loops.

At present tasseled fringes of the above mentioned type are manufactured by a two-step process, the fringe heading tape provided with side loops and the fringe tassels being manufactured separately and thereafter assembled manually by hooking respective tassels around respective said loops and then tying the tassels. Until now the tasseled fringes of this type which have the best reputation in the market are made almost exclusively by hand, since efiorts to mechanize the manufacture of this type of tassel fringe has not been successful, due to the complexity and cost of the machines required and the unsatisfactory features of the process incorporated into these machines.

An object of the present invention is to manufacture a complete tasseled fringe without any manual operation, in a continuous manner.

A further object of the present invention is to present a process for manufacturing a tasseled fringe of the type having a fringe heading tape provided with loops extending beyond an edge of the heading tape, in which bundles of threads are hooked to said loops to form tassels, and are then tied in proximity to the loops.

To this end the fringe-manufacturing process according to the invention is characterised in that all the above-mentioned steps of manufacturing and assembling the fringe components, namely forming the fringe heading tape, the loops and the fringe tassels and tying the latter in proximity to the loops, are performed in a continuous sequence on one machine, the bundles of threads adapted to form the fringe tassels and the threads adapted to form the loops being laid continuously along paths substantially of zigzag shape intersecting and linking with one another.

The tasseled fringe manufactured by the process of the invention may be less expensive than, but of the same quality as, its hand-assembled counterpart.

Some illustrative examples of the process according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. I shows a length of a tasseled fringe formed by a first embodiment of the process according to the invention, before its final trimming step;

FIG. 2 is a view of the fringe of FIG. 1 after trimming;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical plan view showing a warp knitting machine adapted for carrying out the process of manufacturing the fringe of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 3A is a part sectional plan view showing the drive for the machine components of FIG. 3 involved in forming the tasseled fringes;

FIG. 3B is a view in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing the drive of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a perspective view showing a detail of the drive of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E is a perspective view showing on an enlarged scale the components operating in forming one of the structures adapted to be processed to a tasseled fringe.

FIGS. 4,5,6 and 7 are side views showing the consecutive positions of respective thread guides of the machine of FIG. 3, during the formation of loops at one edge of the fringe heading tape and the hooking to said loops of a bundle of threads adapted to form the fringe tassels;

FIGS. 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A are perspective views of FIGS. 4,5,6 and 7, respectively, showing the four fundamental positions taken by the thread guides 8 and 9 during operation of the machine.

FIGS. 8,9,10 and 11 are diagrammatic end views of the guides shown in FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7, in the direction of the arrows VII, IX, X and XI respectively;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic plan views of the arrangement of two alternative arrangements of thread guides of a warp knitting machine suitable for carrying out processes according to second and third embodiments respectively of the process according to the invention, showing the thread guide paths;

FIG. 14 shows diagrammatically in plan the formation of a fringe on a shuttle frame of a weaving loom, by a process according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 15 shows a length of the completed fringe formed by the shuttle frame of FIG. 14.

The fringe shown in FIG. 2 comprises a fringe heading tape 1 provided with loops or so-called borders 2 extending beyond one edge of the tape 1 and respective fringe tassels 3 secured to the respective loops 2.

The fringe is manufactured on a warp knitting machine part of the frame of which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3. The fringe tassels 3 are secured to the loops 2 by tying together the bundles of threads forming each tassel 3 in proximity to the respective loop 2 at an inner tie 4 by means of a chain made of at least one, preferably elastic, thread confining the looped head 5 of each tassel 3. The tassels 3 are also tied at their ends remote from the loops 2 at an outer tie 6 comprising a further chain formed of at least one thread, preferably elastic thread. In the drawings, 30 denotes an electric driving motor which operates through a belt and pulley drive 31 and a shaft 32 rotatably carried by a side wall of the machine frame 33. A cam 34 is keyed to the end of the shaft 32 and has bearing on its periphery the end of bar 35 axially mounted for displacement and rotation on the frame 33, which supports the warp thread guides 36. Spring 37 affords contact of the bar 35 and cam 34. As shown in FIG. 3D, the other end of the bar 35 carries an arm 38 connecting through a link 39 to a rotatable arm 40 carried by the shaft 41 parallel to the bar 35, the arm 40 carries at its end a roller 42 bearing under the action of spring 43 on the periphery of a cam 44. The latter is keyed to the shaft 45, likewise parallel to bar 35, and moved by shaft 32 through the bevel gear 46. The parts are of a configuration such that the warp thread guides 36 perform, in a known manner, the necessary rotations and lateral displacements to cause the needle sets 10, 11 and 12 to knit the warp threads extending through the guides 36.

The ends of the bars 15, 52 and 17 extending from the frame 33 on the side on which the levers 38 and 40 are situated, are of fork shape and carry rollers 53, 54, and 55, respectively, bearing against the peripheries of the cams 56, 57, 58, respectively, carried by drum 59. The latter is keyed to the shaft 60 rotated from the shaft 45 through the bevel gear 61, cross shaft 62 and pair of face gears 63.

Springs 64 interposed between bars 52, I5 and 17 and the frame 33 constantly urge the said bars towards the drum 59. The configuration of the cams 56, 57, and 58 and timing thereof are such as to transmit to the thread guides 8, 7 and 9 movements parallel to the needle bar 47 through a width necessary for obtaining the structure shown in FIG. I of the drawings of the application.

In order to carry out the diagram of motions of the thread guides 8 and 9 shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings of the application (and obtain crossing of the threads 2 and 3 necessary for their mutual hooking), the bar 17 should perform, in addition to longitudinal movement, rotational reciprocation.

The needle sets 10, 11 and 12 are carried by the bar 47 parallel to the bar 35, the ends of which are mounted in the opposite side walls of the frame 33 so as to cause the bar 47 to move in a direction perpendicular to its length. The structure transmitting these displacements to the bar 47 is as follows: the bar has secured thereto two cross members 48, the free ends of which are of fork shape and carry rollers 49. The latter are held in contact with the peripheries of cams 50 keyed to the shaft 45 by the action of springs 51 interposed between the cross members 48 and frame 33. The cams 50 are shaped and timed so that the needles in the sets 10, 11 and 12 secured to the bar 47 perform the necessary forward and backward movements to knit with the warp threads loops adapted to lock the weft threads laid by the guides 7, 8 and 9. The manner in which this movement is accomplished and the mechanism necessary to obtain this movement is known in the art and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,941.

The guides 7, 8 and 9 are carried by longitudinal bars 52, 15, 17 respectively, parallel to bars 35 and 47 and mounted for longitudinal displacement in the frame 3 above the region between the bars 35 and 47 mentioned above (see also FIG. 35

I or this purpose it is provided with an upright arm 65 carrying a lateral pivot 66 parallel to bar 17. The pivot 66 has mounted thereon for rotation and longitudinal displacement one end of link 67, the other end of which is articulated to an upright lever 68 rotatably mounted at the bottom in frame 33 and carrying at the top a roller 69 cooperating with the periphery of cam 70. The latter is keyed to the spindle 71 operated through a pinion and chain drive 72 from the shaft 45. The spring 73 constantly urges the lever 68 towards the cam 70. The latter is so shaped as to transmit to the bar 17 the necessary rotational reciprocations to move the thread guide 9 from its position K to the position K and from the latter to position K during switching over of the thread guide 9 from its position K to its position H, and reverse rotations during return of the thread guide from its position H to K (see FIG. 3 of the drawings).

The modifications of the above-described machanism required for carrying out the diagrams of the motions of the thread guides 8 and 9 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings of the subject invention would be obvious to one skilled in the art.

During manufacture on the knitting machine frame adjacent tassels 3 are interconnected externally of the ties 6 (FIG. 1), the bundle of threads forming the tassels 3 comprising continuous threads.

After forming the fringe shown in FIG. 1 on the knitting frame shown in FIG. 3, all that remains to be carried out is simply a trimming step consisting in severing the portions of the inner tie 4 between adjacent pairs of fringe tassels 2 and trimming the outer ends of the tassels 3 to remove the outer tie 6. The fringe is then as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the warp knitting machine is equipped with weft inserting means adapted for manufacturing the above-described fringe. The thread forming the fringe heading tape 1 is fed through a thread guide 7, the thread or threads forming the loops 2 is fed through thread guides 8 matching in number the number of threads employed for the loops, and the bundle of threads for the fringe tassels 3 is fed through a thread guide 9 of larger cross sectional area than the guides 7 and 8, matching in diameter the thickness of the fringe tassels 3 that are to be formed.

Needles l0 knit the warp threads of the fringe heading tape 1, while needles ll, 12 knit the threads which form the chain ties 4, 6 respectively. The needles 10, ll, 12 are movable along a needle guide bar 13.

The thread guides 8 perform reciprocation along a rectilinear path between a position A and a position B denoted by a chain-dotted line. The thread guide 9 is reciprocated over a substantially U-shaped path between positions K and H, as indicated by a dash line.

The sequence of steps in the operation of the knitting machine frame is as follows. As the thread guides 7 are reciprocated in a direction parallel to the length of the needle guide bar 13, the thread guides 8 start, at predetermined intervals, movement from their initial position A towards the position B in which latter position they are stopped. At the same time the thread guide 9 is first moved from position K to position K. After stoppage of the thread guides 8 at B the guide 9 is moved to position K", thereby laying the thread fed thereby on the threads adapted to form the loop 2, which were previously laid along AB. As a next step the thread-guide 9 is moved to its end position H, while the thread guides 8 are restored to position A.

The thread for the fringe tassels 3 is thereby interlaced with the thread for the loops 2 in order to fasten the resulting tassels 3 to the loops or borders 2.

The thread guides 8 are subsequently moved from position A to B during movement of the thread guides 9 from position H to position K". The thread guides 8 are then stopped, the thread guides 9 moving to position K. Thereupon the thread guides 8, 9 simultaneously travel to their respective positions A, K for the commencement of a fresh cycle of operations.

The ties 4, 6 are effected by the needles 1 l, 12 as manufacture of the fringe proceeds on the knitting machine frame. The outer tie 6 may be made from non-elastic thread, and located elsewhere than at the feet of the tassels 3.

The thread guides 8 are carried by a shaped bar 14 (FIG. 4) secured to a bar 15 extending parallel to the needle guide bar 13. The thread guide 9 is carried by a shaped bar 16 carried in turn by a bar 17 extending parallel to the bar 15. The bars l5, 17 are mounted on the knitting machine frame (not shown) for longitudinal displacement. The bar 17 is additionally adapted to be rotated about its axis, as is clear from the end views of FIGS. 8-1 1.

FIGS. 4, 8-5, 9-6, 10-7, 11 show four successive positions occupied by the thread guides 8, 9 and the supporting means therefor as the said thread guides 8, 9 move over their respective paths, as described above.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 the thread guides8 adapted to form the loops 2 are reciprocated over a substantially U-shaped path crossing and linking with a similarly substantially U-shaped path followed by the thread guide 9 for forming the fringe tassels 3.

Interference of the mutual paths of the thread guides 8, 9 results in interlacing of the threads for the fringe tassels 3 and threads for the loops 2.

The thread guides 8, 9, which may be supported in a similar manner to the thread guides 8, 9 shown in FIGS. 4 to 11, effect the following sequence of movements automatically. The thread guides 8 and 9 first move over arms 1, 1" respectively, then over the respective bridge portions 2', 2", and finally over the arms 3', 3" of the respective paths. The thread guides 8 and 9 are restored to their initial positions in a further step, upon completion of which the tassels 3 are hooked to the loops 2.

In both cases the threads for the tassels 3 are hooked to the threads for the loops 2 and subsequently secured thereto by the tie 4. The width of the bridge portion 2" of the U-shaped path of the thread guide 9 in a direction parallel to the needles 10 to 12 may be reduced effectively to zero, as shown in FIG. 3. The path of the thread guide 9 is then simply a rectilinear path 1". The sequence of steps for fastening the thread for the fringe tassels 3 to the threads for the loops 2 will be easily understood from the embodiment described with reference to and illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 11, bearing in mind the different paths of the thread guides 8 and 9. The same also applies to the means for supporting and moving the thread guides 8 and 9. The reduction in developed length of the path of the thread guide 9 which supplies the thread bundle for the tassels 3, as compared with the corresponding path length in FIG. 3, results in a reduction of the total amount of thread displaced by the thread guides 8 and 9.

According to a further embodiment of the process, illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the fringe is manufactured on a weaving loom conveniently adapted for the purpose, and equipped with four weft-inserting shuttles. The fringe heading tape 1 is formed by the action of a first shuttle N FIG. 14, which inserts in a manner known per se weft threads 18 of said tape 1 between warp threads 19 thereof. The loops 2 are formed simultaneously by a second shuttle N which feeds the respective thread, the latter being also inserted between the warp threads 19 in a similar manner to the weft threads 18.

The fringe tassels 3 are formed by the action of a third shuttle N feeding an anchoring thread 20 which is preferably a nylon thread.

The inner tie 4 has at least two warp threads and interlaced weft threads which are fed and inserted by a fourth shuttle N The shuttles N N N and N are slidable over respective guides (not shown) provided in planes which are in parallel and superposed relationship to one another in the loom batten (not shown). The said shuttles N -N are of the resilient thread recovery type, as known per se.

The shuttles N -N are operated to perform similar strokes denoted by A in FIG. 14, with a suitable relative phasing, as described hereafter, in order to form the desired fringe.

The thread bundle 21 for the fringe tassels 3 is fed parallel to the warp threads 19 along with at least a pair of warp threads for the tie 4 and a strong wire 22 which is tightly stretched to maintain it in a rectilinear configuration. The

threads 4,21 and the wire 22 are reciprocated similarly to the warp threads 19 in respective vertical planes.

The shuttle N starts its movement when the threads of the bundle 21 and the wire 22 are lifted and the warp threads 4 and 19 are opened. Since the shuttle N is of the resilient thread recovery type it lays the thread between the warp threads 19 only, thereby forming the weft threads 18 only of the fringe heading tape 1. The shuttles N and N feeding the thread bundle 21 and the thread 20 respectively are counterrunning and perform a smaller number of strokes than the shuttle N Their motion is synchronised with the vertical oscillations in height of the thread bundle 21 and the wire 22 so as to travel on their alternate horizontal strokes beneath and over said bundle 21 and wire and, of course, between the warp threads of the tie 4.

Consequently, the thread bundle 21 and the wire 22 are connected by the linking of the thread 20 and the thread bundle 21 supplied by the shuttles N and N respectively. Since the thread 20 is of a tough nature and highly stretched, it does not deform, so that the yieldable less taut threads of the bundle 21 are attracted towards the wire 22 and are deformed to loop form by the anchoring thread 20, as shown. This is possible by virtue of the fact that the thread 20 supplied by the shuttle N is recovered by the said shuttle under a high elastic tension. Recovery of excess thread supplied by the shuttle N is effected with a lower tension, the function of this latter shuttle N being to fasten the loops 2 interwoven in the fringe heading tape 1 with the thread bundles 21 adapted to form the tassels 3.

As the formation of the fringe heading tape 1, the loops 2 and the tassels 3 progresses, the continuous tie 4 is formed by the fourth shuttle N, which passes between the respective warp threads of the tie 4 but which does not insert its thread between the warp threads 19, or engage the thread bundle 21 or the wire 22. The tie 4 extends around the tassels 3 and between the tassels, separating their upper portions 5a from their foot portions, the threads in each tassel being closed together at the tie 4.

The article manufactured on the shuttle frame is further treated to form the finished fringe by severing the continuous tie 4 into sections 4a, each tying one tassel 3 (FIG. 15), and trimming the tassels 3 at their foot portions in order to separate them from the wire 21 and the thread 20.

The tie 4 is preferably made of an elastic thread, whereby its sections 4a tend to hold the individual tassels 3 tightly and resiliently. Alternatively, the tie 4 could be made of a thread which is shrinkable, for example by the action of heat, which would yield the same result, or of a wire which may be cut between adjacent tassels 3 and the severed ends bent around the tassels 3.

In the embodiments described herein the threads forming the loops 2 and the thread bundle forming the tassels 3 are laid continuously in intersecting and interlinked paths of zigzag shape which intersect near the longitudinal centre-line of the resulting fringe.

I claim:

1. A process for manufacturing a tasseled fringe on a warp knitting machine, said tasseled fringe being of the type having a fringe heading tape provided with loops extending beyond an edge of the heading tape, wherein bundles of threads are hooked through said guides to form tassels, and are tied in proximit to the loops, comprising the ste s of continuously aying a undle of threads adapted to form t e fringe tassels in a first sinuous path, continuously laying at least one thread adapted to form the loops in a second sinuous path, said thread adapted to form the loops being continuously incorporated into the heading tape, each sinuous path providing a plurality of bends and each alternate bend of each path passing through a different alternate bend of the other path, continuously tying adjacent portions of the bundles of threads adapted to form the tassels adjacent the loops of said second sinuous path, and continuously trimming the bends from said bundles remote from said loops to form said tassels.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of extending said loops beyond said edge of the fringe heading tape at regular intervals, forming said loops, in part, by weft threads of the heading tape, and interlinking the loops and the tassels at substantially the longitudinal center line of the resulting fringe.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of feeding the threads adapted to form the loops and the threads adapted to form the tassels by respective thread guides moved over respective paths which extend, in part, transversely of the length of the fringe being formed, said paths and the movements of said threads for forming the tassels to each successive loop extending from said edge of the fringe heading tape.

4. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of reciprocating the respective thread guide for forming the loops at predetermined intervals over a substantially U- shaped path having two parallel arms and an intermediate bridge portion, the arms of which extend transversely to the direction in which the fringe is being formed, the thread guide for forming the tassels or respectively the thread guide for forming the loops being reciprocated over a rectilinear path extending transversely of the direction in which the fringe is formed and intersecting the bridge portion of the said U- shaped path, the reciprocations of said thread guide being over a rectilinear path taking place during parallel but oppositely directed movements of the thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path, and the movements of the said thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path in a direction perpendicular to the said rectilinear path taking place during intermediate pauses in the movement of the said thread guide travelling over a rectilinear path.

5. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of reciprocating the respective thread guide for forming the tassels at predetermined intervals over a substantially U- shaped path having two parallel anus and an intermediate bridge portion, the arms of which extend transversely to the direction in which the fringe is being formed, the thread guide for forming the tassels or respectively the thread guide for forming the loops being reciprocated over a rectilinear path extending transversely of the direction in which the fringe is formed and intersecting the bridge portion of the said U- shaped path, the reciprocations of said thread guide being over a rectilinear path taking place during parallel but oppositely directed movements of the thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path in a direction perpendicular to the said rectilinear path taking place during intermediate pauses in the movement of the said thread guide travelling over a rectilinear path.

6. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of moving thread guides for forming the tassels and the loops over respective intersecting substantially U-shaped paths, the open portions of which face away from each other, each reciprocation of the thread guides over their respective paths taking place in three consecutive steps in which the thread guides move in opposite directions along the arms and the bridge portions of the respective U-shaped paths. 

1. A process for manufacturing a tasseled fringe on a warp knitting machine, said tasseled fringe being of the type having a fringe heading tape provided with loops extending beyond an edge of the heading tape, wherein bundles of threads are hooked through said guides to form tassels, and are tied in proximity to the loops, comprising the steps of continuously laying a bundle of threads adapted to form the fringe tassels in a first sinuous path, continuously laying at least one thread adapted to form the loops in a second sinuous path, said thread adapted to form the loops being continuously incorporated into the heading tape, each sinuous path providing a plurality of bends and each alternate bend of each path passing through a different alternate bend of the other path, continuously tying adjacent portions of the bundles of threads adapted to form the tassels adjacent the loops of said second sinuous path, and continuously trimming the bends from said bundles remote from said loops to form said tassels.
 2. A process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of extending said loops beyond said edge of the fringe heading tape at regular intervals, forming said loops, in part, by weft threads of the heading tape, and interlinking the loops and the tassels at substantially the longitudinal center line of the resulting fringe.
 3. A process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of feeding the threads adapted to form the loops and the threads adapted to form the tassels by respective thread guides moved over respective paths which extend, in part, transversely of the length of the fringe being formed, said paths and the movements of said threads for forming the tassels to each successive loop extending from said edge of the fringe heading tape.
 4. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of reciprocating the respective thread guide for forming the loops at predetermined intervals over a substantially U-shaped path having two parallel arms and an intermediate bridge portion, the arms of which extend transversely to the direction in which the fringe is being formed, the thread guide for forming the tassels or respectively the thread guide for forming the loops being reciprocated over a rectilinear path extending transversely of the direction in whicH the fringe is formed and intersecting the bridge portion of the said U-shaped path, the reciprocations of said thread guide being over a rectilinear path taking place during parallel but oppositely directed movements of the thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path, and the movements of the said thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path in a direction perpendicular to the said rectilinear path taking place during intermediate pauses in the movement of the said thread guide travelling over a rectilinear path.
 5. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of reciprocating the respective thread guide for forming the tassels at predetermined intervals over a substantially U-shaped path having two parallel arms and an intermediate bridge portion, the arms of which extend transversely to the direction in which the fringe is being formed, the thread guide for forming the tassels or respectively the thread guide for forming the loops being reciprocated over a rectilinear path extending transversely of the direction in which the fringe is formed and intersecting the bridge portion of the said U-shaped path, the reciprocations of said thread guide being over a rectilinear path taking place during parallel but oppositely directed movements of the thread guide travelling over the U-shaped path in a direction perpendicular to the said rectilinear path taking place during intermediate pauses in the movement of the said thread guide travelling over a rectilinear path.
 6. A process as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of moving thread guides for forming the tassels and the loops over respective intersecting substantially U-shaped paths, the open portions of which face away from each other, each reciprocation of the thread guides over their respective paths taking place in three consecutive steps in which the thread guides move in opposite directions along the arms and the bridge portions of the respective U-shaped paths. 